Canterbury 37
Wellington 30
Perseverance, commitment and a touch of magic from Sonny Bill Williams saw Canterbury return to winning ways yesterday.
The defending champions were in danger of playing most of the rugby yet sliding out of the contest on the back of their own errors and Wellington's ability to make less go
much further.
That was until Williams, who came on at the start of the second half, thundered on to a Colin Slade short ball and beat four players from 10 metres to thrust the ball over the line and give Canterbury a nine-point cushion.
Debate will never end when it comes to Williams; whether he's a genuine All Black and how he'll fit into the team if he is.
Those not sure must have been won over by his try. That is precisely how he will fit into the All Black set-up. He can be used off the bench with his power, pace and vision virtually unstoppable from such short range.
Once Williams had dotted down to make the score 34-25, there was palpable relief in the home ranks. Their frustration up until then was all too easy to understand.
They had a couple of rampant scrums yet spent much of the second half under pressure in that department. There were periods where they were helping themselves to Wellington's lineout ball and yet longer periods where they couldn't win their own.
For every line break or piece of creativity, there was a wild pass or an act of stupidity that saw them cough up possession or blow the opportunity. This was in stark contrast to Wellington who didn't have as much possession or territory but took their chances better. Hosea Gear, again, showed that he is an out and out finisher.
No one in the country is more deadly when there is a broken defence to run at. He scored two tries, the second of which was down to instinct and the knowledge that, if he came off his wing, ran hard off Lima Sopoaga's shoulder and burst onto the ball, he'd score.
Faifili'i Levave had a similar outlook in the second half when he picked up from the back of a steady scrum and just charged. Direct and confrontational, he was over in a flash.
It was fitting that Wellington also managed to secure a double bonus point when they scored a fourth try as their contribution was worthy. To have seen them go home with nothing would have been harsh.
But they couldn't hold on - and that was not just down to Williams. Canterbury had the bristling power of Robbie Fruean in midfield causing all sorts of damage.
The more this young man plays the better he becomes and he's the form centre in New Zealand right now. He was effective when he ran straight and even more so when he drifted just that little bit to the outside shoulder when the pass was on its way.
Whether it was an act of genius or folly, no one can be sure, but he created the first try of the game by taking the contact and then sky-hooking the ball out the back of the tackle. Maybe he should have passed early but Canterbury got the desired result.
Canterbury also had a rejuvenated Nasi Manu who, finally, showed what he is all about at No 8. Direct and hungry, Manu was looking for work and he carried to great effect. At full tilt he's a handful, as Jeremy Thrush discovered when he was flattened like road kill when Manu returned a kick in the first half.
His combination with Matt Todd was rather useful as well and those two more than did their part in getting Canterbury over the gain line and building momentum.
Canterbury 37 (A. Ellis, T. Veainu, S. Maitland, S. Williams tries; C. Slade 4 cons, 3 pens) Wellington 30 (H. Gear 2, F. Levave, A. Mathewson tries; L. Sopoaga 2 cons, 2 pens).
